Demi Lovato has one of the strongest and most loyal fanbases ever—that’s why they’re called Lovatics. The “Sorry Not Sorry” singer receives thousands of messages from them daily advocating for her health and happiness. They just want Lovato to be fulfilled, no matter what, in any form that takes: releasing music, not releasing music, dating a man, dating a woman, dating someone gender nonconforming, or being single. It’s all good as long as Lovato puts herself first.
So it’s no surprise that photos of Lovato holding hands with a woman, DJ-producer Lauren Abedini (according to PerezHilton), in Disneyland over the weekend delighted these diehards. Granted, these pictures don’t mean Lovato is dating Abedini—but that didn’t stop Twitter from doing happy dances in 140 characters or less.
Check out the photos in question, below, along with some of the best reactions we found:
Some of these tweets label Abedini as Lovato’s alleged new “girlfriend,” but the majority of them are just messages from fans who are elated to see her being so open and authentic. Of course, this is how Lovato’s been her entire career. She’s spoken candidly in the past about her former addictions, body image issues, mental health struggles, and, yes, her sexuality. Lovato told People magazine in June 2016 that she doesn’t think sexual preferences require a label. “As humans, it’s just about a connection with someone,” she said.
Plus, there’s her 2015 song, “Cool for the Summer,” which many people believe is about sexual experimentation. Lovato herself hinted to this in 2015, during an interview with Alan Carr, when she said, “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with experimentation at all.”
Regardless of what these photos mean, it’s clear Lovato’s in a really great place in her life. Her Instagram is filled with posts about self-love, and she’s releasing some of her rawest music to date, like “You Don’t Do It For Me Anymore,” a track that’s actually about breaking up with her former self—not a significant other. “I see the future without you / The hell was I doing in the past / Now that I’ve learned all about you / A love just like ours wouldn’t last,” she sings.
What we do hope lasts, however, is Lovato living life on her own terms. Frankly, that’s how we all should be.
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